How to feel better and healthier with Dr Nisa Aslam

If I eat cheese, stay out in the sun too long or get stressed, you can be sure that it’ll show up on my left hand and arms as eczema (aka dermatitis)which a total pain. Not only does it itch it looks red and sore and while these days that doesn’t bother me so much, as a child it meant I would cover up in jumpers to hid my skin even in the hottest of summers - bad idea!

Dr Nisa Aslam is a GP and skin expert from the Skin Life Sciences Foundation and I love what she has to say about this non-contagious, inflammatory dry skin condition that can affect people from early infancy to old age and when you read her interview, I am not the only one who wants to hide away.

“Eczema is incredibly common, with The National Eczema Society estimating that the most common form, atopic eczema, affects one in five children and one in 10 adults in the UK[1].

Symptoms of eczema may include a red rash or red patches of skin, especially inside the folds of the elbows and knees, intense itching and dry skin. The skin can be so unbearably itchy that the urge to scratch can be irresistible. During a flare it can also be red, cracked, raw or bleeding. Symptoms can include blisters and the skin may change colour.

Genes, environmental factors and failure of immune function are thought to play a role in the development of eczema. Allergy also plays a part in some people’s eczema.[2]

Potential allergens include pet dander, dust mites, pollen and sometimes food such as milk, eggs, soya and peanut. Allergy as a factor in eczema may be linked with hereditary factors.

If both parents have eczema there is a 50% chance that their children will develop it. Likewise, children born into families that have a history of allergic diseases such as asthma or hay fever are at an increased risk for developing eczema.[3] In such families, eczema usually develops first in the infant followed by food allergy, hay fever then asthma in that order.

Many different factors - as well as allergens – including soaps, detergents, cosmetics, hot or cold weather and hormones may trigger eczema. Individual triggers may be different in each person and it is important to identify which things affect you as this can be very helpful in managing the condition.

Avoiding triggers as much as possible can lengthen the time between flares.

Don’t suffer poor skin health in silence.

Skin conditions are often dismissed, but eczema as well as other skin conditions such as psoriasis, and dermatitis, whilst very common, can have a devastating impact on our quality of life, confidence and mental health. In fact, worrying new research commissioned by Typharm, a UK life sciences company producing prescription-only skin therapies, has revealed that a staggering 80% of Brits who suffer from a skin condition say it undermines their confidence, with embarrassment and intentional social distancing.

“If you suffer from a skin condition like eczema it is so important to keep going back to your GP if your symptoms are not under control. Under-treated eczema can have a serious impact on quality of life and increases the risk of infection and chronic skin changes. In fact, there really is no need to suffer in silence as there are a variety of effective treatments including prescribed skin treatments from steroid ointments and creams to formats like medicated tapes such as fludroxycortide tape, which is also waterproof, to help deliver steroids within a different format and useful in difficult cases of eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis.

Fludroxycortide tape is a transparent medicated surgical tape impregnated with the steroid fludroxycortide which can be cut to size and you can apply make-up over the top of, and shower with it on, as it is waterproof. When applied to the skin, it helps to reduce redness, swelling and itching.

If you have eczema it’s important to use emollients frequently too and in large amounts to help prevent water loss from the skin and reduce dryness. Have an emollient bath or shower each day too.

Dr Nisa Aslam is a GP and skin expert from the Skin Life Sciences Foundation

[1] National Eczema Society https://eczema.org/information-and-advice

[2]  Eczema | Causes, Symptoms & Treatment | ACAAI Public Website

[3] Eczema | Causes, Symptoms & Treatment | ACAAI Public Website